Jay Som is your favorite band's favorite band – or songwriter, producer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist…the list goes on and on when referring to Jay Som’s mastermind Melina Duterte. After breaking into the spotlight with the critically acclaimed Everybody Works (2017) and its follow-up, Anak Ko (2019), Duterte became one of the most in-demand musicians in the industry – whether it’s collaborating with artists such as Troye Sivan, recording original tracks for films like A24's I Saw The TV Glow, or working on grammy-award-winning albums like boygenius' the record, as well as performing in the boygenius touring band with shows across the globe + a performance on SNL. Duterte has been a part of some of the biggest indie albums of the decade, you just might not have noticed.
That’s all about to change however, with the release of the brilliant new Jay Som album, Belong. The album is undeniably Duterte’s best work yet and features 11 tracks that showcase her ever-expansive musicianship and wide-ranging influences. Recorded at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia and mixed by Duterte and Kyle Pulley (Dr. Dog, Alex G), Belong is chock-full of everything you’d expect from such an influential and pioneering fixture in music. Tracks like “Float” (featuring Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins) showcase Duterte’s knack for melody while other standouts like “Past Lives” (featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams) tastefully build towards an anthemic resolve, with both Duterte and Williams’ interchanging vocals on full display.
Belong is a turning point for Jay Som – a career-defining statement that finds Duterte rightfully stepping into the spotlight.
